Shortage
by North of the North
Summary: The king of where Mathew lives is obsessed with magic. Mathew offers his skills as a witch to his king in exchange for food being sent to his province where everyone is starving. Unfortunately, the king wants more from him than just magical training.
1. Chapter 1

I use the word witch in a different way than is normally thought of. To me, a witch is a person that follows a certain code that I've made up and that uses magic. It is not a feminine term for me. If you have read "The wolf that fell in love with Little Red Riding Hood" I follow the same thinking of witches there, only I've added on things for it to fit the story. It's like that. Hopefully I'll be able to get the idea across with this too.

Inspired by the word 'shortage'.

* * *

Mathew could see the answer to the question everyone had been asking each other on the faces of the men who had gone to the city. There would be no food coming from that direction. This would be another season where they would all starve.

At least his magic would take away the hunger pains of as many people as he could until he too collapsed in exhaustion.

Their king should be taking better care of his citizens. But, who was Mathew to question him, even in his thoughts, when he was nothing more than a witch?

That didn't change the fact that everyone in the province had gathered to try to spread out the food supplies, only to find that there really wasn't anything to share. His province was going to starve, and nothing was being done about it.

Then Mathew saw down the road behind the returning townsmen a second cloud of dust much bigger than the one kicked up by the carts his people were using. Whoever it was were riding horses. Only the king's emissaries used were allowed to use them now that everyone's supplies were dwindling so low.

Had the king rethought his decision and had sent men to tell his people that food would be sent to them?

The townsmen had made it inside the town while Mathew had been thinking and were shaking their heads at the questions sent at them. Wails of grief and pain at their answer was going up. Gradually these changed to shouts of anger. Mathew looked up from the ground at his feet. So, they had finally noticed the king's men coming towards them. It didn't sound like they would receive a very warm welcome.

Mathew shrugged, he had only come out here to find out if something was going to be done about the province's starvation, and that had been answered. He didn't care to hear what the king's men had to say. It wasn't likely to be good, and he truly didn't care for the king at all.

As far as he could tell, the king was rotten scum that didn't care about anyone else. So, why should he care about him?

Mathew ducked inside his home just as the horse riders came in through the town's gate. He'd decided to have a nap to replenish his energy before going out later that evening to heal as many people as he could.

He was woken by a man he recognized from healing a scrape on the guy's daughter's leg from the day before. What confused him was one, it was still light out, and two no one had ever gone in to wake him before. No one really wanted to come very close to him despite how much he helped them or how highly his kind were thought of. Mathew had always figured it was a kind of respect. So, something must be terribly wrong for this man to come in and wake him up.

"Witch," The man said. Mathew suddenly remembered that his name was Justin. "The men outside are asking if we have a witch. We said no, of course, they had also asked for our remaining food so it was obvious they meant to take you too. But, now you have to hide, the men are searching the houses for you."

Mathew hurried to get up and sneak outside of the house when a man filled the doorway with his height.

"Are you the Witch?" He asked.

"No," Mathew said even as he winced for telling the lie.

"I don't believe you." The man said. "Your house is the only one set apart from everyone else, not to mention what you have in here as well." He continued while sweeping his hand around the room to indicate the drying herbs on the desks and in the rafters and the bookshelves lining every wall overflowing with grimoires.

Mathew winced. His possessions were pretty incriminating in his current situation. They marked him as a witch, and as the man had said, he was the only one here.

The man stomped forward across the room and grabbed Mathew's arm hard enough that bruises started to blossom immediately.

Justin stepped forward too ready to protest the man's action, but Mathew waved him off.

"It's alright, Justin. I'm sure he only wants to talk." Mathew said turning to look back at the guard, as he must be considering his strength, after he'd addressed Justin.

"No, Witch," The guard said. "We are not here just to talk. The king has ordered that the witch known as Mathew Williams be brought to the castle, and we have reason to believe this is the…village the witch is residing in, and you are the only witch here."

Mathew spared a thought to think about how the people that lived here would have been greatly insulted by what the man said. Everyone here was proud that their population had gone up so that they were no longer classified as a village, and this man had just called them that. They would be pissed when they heard about this. Justin looked ready to punch the guard, though that could still just be because of Mathew's bruises, which were really starting to hurt.

Then he thought about other things.

How did they manage to figure out his name though? How could they have known which witch in particular he is? Only the three most powerful witches knew where everyone was stationed, and he was one of them. He was the Maiden. Was it the Crone or Matron that had given up this information? Had one of the younger witches accidentally overheard his name being spoken?

This wasn't good.

* * *

A note on the Maiden, Matron, and Crone thing. The three most powerful witches are selected based on a necklace they are all born with as a child, only other witches can see it around their necks. Its first job is that it shows how old the Witch is down to the second, and its second function is that shows a number on the top of the locket that shows the strength of the Witch at any one point in time. Witches can learn more and become more powerful, so this number can change. After the three most powerful Witches have been found they are given their title as Maiden, Matron, and Crone based on their age. Mathew is the youngest out of the three, therefore he is the Maiden.


	2. Chapter 2

Shortage Part 2

"I agree to your terms." Mathew surprised himself by saying. A ringing started in his ears, a chill settled in his skin, and he couldn't see his surroundings clearly as he retreated into his thoughts.

Why would he ever want to stay with this man? To show him the secret art that all witches are born with and is coveted around the world by everyone else? He didn't want to stay, but if it helped his province…

Well…

Mathew resigned himself to his fate. It needed to be done. Simple as that. And he had been the one that was asked to do it. No matter how demeaning he felt doing this, no matter what ANY of his feelings were, he would accomplish this task. Because he was a witch. And witches did not go back on their words. Nor did they abandon their own. And to refuse this would leave his province, and the witches under his protection there, at the king's mercy.

And he could never do that.

Mathew nodded, and said again. "I agree to your terms. I will stay here until you ask me to leave."

* * *

Over the next few weeks, Mathew forced himself to feel right at home. He even took to having little arguments with the king.

* * *

King Arthur brings in someone claiming to be a witch to perform their magic in front of his court and sitting on the throne with Mathew beside him, his anger rises to see how unimpressed Mathew is with the show. When he asks Mathew why, Mathew replies simply that the witch is a fake and everything they've done so far has been merely a hoax with some cheap parlor tricks scattered in to give it a bit more flavour. He says the entire act is likely merely to trick him into being impressed by it and granting the "witch" performing it some favour.

"The man's probably only after your money for his common tricks." Mathew then sighed. "Could I just go back to my bedchambers right now, please? This has only served to bore me."

Arthur turned to him, furious.

"Leave then." he spit out. "And you," he points to the captain of the guards a young blond man named Alfred to give his command. "Throw that man into the dungeons." Arthur was livid, furious, and could hardly believe tha he had been made a fool of, again. Could he not do anything right in front of the witch Mathew?

*Later*

Mathew gets mad at him for needlessly harming the man. "You could have just told him off and hauled him out of the castle! You didn't have to hang him up by his arms and deny him meals!"

"You do not tell a king what he should and should not do. Now leave!" Arthur yelled back at him.

"As long as you want me to stay here I can and I will tell you what I think! And, on that note, I think it's absolutely sinful what you are doing to the people of this realm!"

"Fancy that, a witch calling a king sinful. Doesn't that seem ironic to you?"

Why was nothing he did to make the man happy working?

Arthur thought, scowling. 'Why wasn't any of it working?'

Mathew was sorely tempted to spit on Arthur's shoes, but he knew that that was childish. So instead he just sniffed and looked away. He knew that with that last comment, he had lost this fight, but he knew he could bring it up again and until then he would just need to think up a suitable reply to anything Arthur might say to shoot his words down.

For now, though, he just watched the fake magic show, and sneered inside. He would never let this man buy his affection or loyalty with gifts and entertainment. He was a monster who had withheld aid for his people and forced Mathew to come to his castle. Mathew owed him nothing. Not a single kind word, a single kind glance. Nothing. Arthur himself was nothing to Mathew.

In fact, he could almost say that Arthur was the first person he had ever hated.

Shortly after that, he excused himself from the dungeons. He couldn't bear to see the blood streaking its way down the poor man's face. Even if he was a con man, he didn't deserve this treatment. No one did.

* * *

This now seemed to be how their daily lives went. Both of them angry with the other. Ever. Single. Day.

Mathew just wanted to go back home, so badly. He hated it here, with the stifling castle walls enclosing him, being denied flight practice on his broom, being threatened that he would be shot down and tortured should he even dare to try to run away, the blatant looks Arthur kept giving him...

Mathew shivered.

If it weren't for the confirmed reports stating how his people were finally receiving aid from the kingdoms stores, Mathew would have left long ago.


End file.
